


Run, You Clever Boys, And Remember Me

by XProSkeith



Category: The Maze Runner Series - James Dashner
Genre: Comfort, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Friendship, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Male Friendship, Post-The Death Cure, post-paradise, thominho - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-10-20
Updated: 2014-10-20
Packaged: 2018-02-21 21:02:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,399
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2482307
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/XProSkeith/pseuds/XProSkeith
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>As a reminder, this fic happens after the Death Cure, so it has major spoilers. Please be advised.</p>
<p>A year has passed since Thomas, Minho, and the others arrive in Paradise. Things seems to be going really well, but as the one year anniversary of Newt's death approaches, Thomas becomes more and more withdrawn. Minho notices this and confronts him about it. In the end, the truth is revealed and the two of them mutually support each other as they remember their friend.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Run, You Clever Boys, And Remember Me

Almost a year had passed since the Gladers and the other Munies had arrived in Paradise. They’d come quite a ways since then. Most people had their own huts now, but a lot of people, especially the younger ones, found it more comfortable to stay sleeping in a communal space. The Gladers started calling it the Homestead and it didn’t take long for everyone to start calling it that.

All the construction efforts had really been spearheaded by Gally. Frypan still handled cooking for everyone, although he finally started accepting some help in the kitchen from others because he couldn’t keep up on his own with so many people needing to be fed.

Their lives were good. Simple, but good. It was almost like being back in the Glade. Everyone had a job and did their part. Things ran smoothly. Minho turned out to be an excellent leader, especially with Thomas helping him from the background. Thomas had never liked being the leader, but he wasn’t going to let Minho handle it all alone.

Minho was actually happy with how far Thomas had come. When they’d first arrived in Paradise, Thomas seemed so worn and distant. They’d all been through hell and lost so much along the way, so Minho understood. He had tried talking to Thomas then, but Thomas just shrugged him off, so Minho gave him his space. It took time, but he seemed genuinely happy again. From what he and everyone else could see, Thomas and Brenda’s relationship was really taking off, too. Minho still missed Newt and wondered about what happened to him from time to time and he was sure Thomas did, too, but for once all was going well.

Then things changed. Minho noticed that Thomas was withdrawing from everyone again. His genuine happy expression was replaced with a shallow mask of a smile. Minho could tell. It was the same look he’d seen when Thomas was trying to hide his problems from everyone. Minho knew his best friend well enough to know that things weren’t okay with him. Minho thought about why Thomas took this sudden turn. It puzzled him for a while, but he quickly connected the dots. Not only had it been about a year since they arrived here, but it had also been a year since they last saw Newt in the crank palace. They never saw Newt again and they both knew what had probably happened to him.

Finally, the anniversary of that day arrived. Minho was surprised at just how much Newt’s memory and the lingering unanswered question of what happened to him. But he didn’t have time to dwell on that. His best friend was going through hell and he needed to help him. He wasn’t going to let Thomas bear that pain alone.

Minho went to look for Thomas and couldn’t find him anywhere. No one had seen him that morning, not even Frypan at the kitchen. Minho knew what that meant. He’d shut himself up inside his hut. Minho shook his head. This must really be eating Thomas for him to completely isolate himself.

Minho marched over to Thomas’ hut and banged on the door. He waited a few moments and just before he was about to knock again, the door creaked open slightly. Thomas peaked out the door with one of his eyes. Minho couldn’t see his face since it was hidden behind the door, but Thomas’ eyes said everything. They were full of sadness and something else that Minho couldn’t quite place.

“What do you want, Minho?” asked Thomas quietly.

“I came to check on you,” replied Minho. “You’ve been acting different these past few days and now you’ve locked yourself in here.”

“I’m fine,” said Thomas, sounding very unconvincing.

“Listen, shuckface, I’m your best friend and I know when you’re not feeling alright and when you’re trying to hide things from everyone,” retorted Minho.

“Really, Minho, I’m fine,” said Thomas, his voice suddenly sounding more normal. “I just wanted some time to myself to relax.”

Minho sighed, calming himself a bit, and asked, “Do you mind if I come in?”

“Not now, Minho,” replied Thomas. “You should go.”

Thomas moved to close the door and Minho quickly slid his foot between the door and the doorframe, blocking it from closing, while slamming his hand against the door to further stop it.

“Like hell I should,” said Minho.

“Minho, please. I just want to be alone,” protested Thomas as he vainly struggled to close the door.

Minho didn’t waste any more time. He barged his way past the door and Thomas, closing the door behind him. Now that he was in the hut, Minho could actually see Thomas. He looked a little disheveled and sullen.

“What’s wrong with you, Thomas?” asked Minho. “I’ve never seen you like this.”

“I told you nothing’s wrong,” said Thomas sounding more insistent. “I’m fine.”

“That’s a load of klunk,” said Minho. “I’m not stupid, Thomas. I know what day it is and I know you’ve only been acting like this the past few days leading up to it.”

“Minho…” started Thomas.

“You’re not the only one who lost Newt that day, slinthead!” shouted Minho.

There was a moment of silence. Minho’s loud words hung in the air. Thomas was taken aback for a minute and Minho wasn’t sure how to follow that up. Finally, Thomas spoke.

“I know that!” shouted Thomas, anger spreading across his face and into his voice. “I know we both lost him, okay? But it’s a bit different for me!”

As soon as he said, Thomas’ face changed. He seemed shocked at what he’d just said. Minho was confused by it, too.

“What’s that supposed to mean?!” asked Minho, both his anger and frustration showing. “How is it different for you? What? You think I didn’t shucking love Newt just as much as you did? Is that it, Thomas? Well?! Is it?!”

Thomas backed away from Minho, backing into a wall where he slowly slid down to sit on the floor. After a moment, Minho noticed Thomas had tears running down his cheeks. He was crying silently. Minho’s expression softened immediately. He regretted what he’d just said. He was just frustrated with Thomas. He didn’t mean to hurt or upset him. He never wanted that.

“Thomas, I-” began Minho.

“It’s my fault,” interrupted Thomas, his voice beginning to waiver. “That’s why it’s different for me, Minho. It’s all my fault.”

Minho was still confused. How could it be Thomas’ fault? What did he mean?

“What’re you talking about?” asked Minho, much calmer now.

“Newt’s dead,” answered Thomas.

“I kind of assumed that already,” said Minho gently. “He had The Flare, Thomas. It’s been a year, so by now he-”

“No, you don’t get it,” interrupted Thomas, his voice cracking now. “I know he’s dead because I killed him.”

“What?” asked Minho, feeling stunned.

“He gave me a note before we ever left the WICKED compound. He said to open it when the time was right. Well, after we saw him at the crank palace, I finally opened it. You know what the shuck letter said? It said if I’d ever been his friend, to kill him,” said Thomas.

“That’s a load of klunk,” said Minho in disbelief. “There’s no way Newt would ask you to do that.”

“Well he did, Minho, because he knew you’d never be able to. When the cranks were raiding Denver, I ran into him again,” continued Thomas. “He tackled me and was screaming at me to kill him. He was jacked. I’d never seen him like that before. But then he just seemed to relax and calm down. He looked me straight in the eyes and asked… No… Begged me to shoot him. To kill him while he still had a shred of his sanity left. While he was still Newt. And I did. I gave him his last shucking request. I put my gun against his head and pulled the trigger. I… I…”

Thomas couldn’t make another sentence. He just couldn’t. He was reliving that moment again and it was terrible. He was certain that Minho hated him now. Thomas wouldn’t blame him. After all, he should be hated for what he’d done.

Minho stood in stunned silence for a moment. He was trying to process everything that Thomas just told him. Newt had asked Thomas to kill him. And to make it worse, he asked Thomas because he knew Minho wouldn’t be able to do it. Minho hated to admit it, but Newt was right. At the same time, he couldn’t blame Thomas. Thomas didn’t want Newt to have the same fate as all the other cranks. No. Thomas did the right thing. The thing Minho could never have done.

As those thoughts bounced around in his head, Minho realized Thomas was still on the floor, crying. He looked broken. Without any hesitation, Minho bent down and pulled Thomas into a tight bear hug. No way was he going to let his best friend keep going through hell. Thomas initially tensed in response to Minho’s sudden embrace as if he’d expected Minho to hit him, but he quickly relaxed and returned the hug.

“It’s alright, Thomas,” said Minho comfortingly. “You did the right thing. You didn’t let him die like the rest of the shuck cranks. You let him die as Newt. Not another mindless crank.”

Thomas just sort of nodded as he continued to cry quietly against Minho. Minho hadn’t realized it until that moment, but he was actually crying, too. Minho felt something he didn’t expect. As he sat there, holding and comforting Thomas, he felt all the thoughts that had been bouncing around in his head come to order. He felt relief. He knew what had happened to Newt. He knew how he died and that he died as Newt and not some crazed crank. It gave him closure, something he had been needing.

This was something both of them needed.They needed to let it all out and just be there for each other. They’d lost one of their best friends, a part of their trio. It hurt them in a way no one else could quite understand. What kind of best friends would they be if they weren’t there for each other?

After a while, Thomas finally stopped crying and regained his composure. He separated himself a little bit from Minho to allow himself to wipe away his tears. Minho looked at Thomas’ face and saw that his eyes were red and puffy from crying and his cheeks were tear streaked.

Minho smirked at Thomas and said, “That’s one ugly face you got there, shuckface.”

Thomas couldn’t help but laugh at that.

“Yeah, well, you don’t look much better, slinthead,” said Thomas.

They both laughed, enjoying the break in the tension. Minho stood and helped Thomas to his feet. They went and sat on his bed which was considerably more comfortable than the floor. They let out a heavy sigh in unison as they sat.

“You know I don’t blame you or hate you, right?” asked Minho quietly.

“Yeah, I know that now,” replied Thomas.

“I’m really glad you told me though,” said Minho, leaning back on his hands while looking up at the ceiling. “I think not knowing what happened to him was what was driving me crazy. Knowing how he died and that he died as himself gives me some closure, ya know?”

“Yeah, I understand,” said Thomas. “I was just worried you’d be really mad and I didn’t want to burden you with what I knew.”

“That’s stupid, ya shank,” said Minho, a smirk crossing his face. “I could never be mad at you for long if at all. You’re my best friend and one of the few things I have left in this world.”

Thomas smiled and said, “Gee, Minho, I never thought you were the sappy type.”

Thomas let out a small yelp as Minho punched him in the arm.

“Shut up, Thomas,” said Minho, though he still had a grin on his face.

“Alright, alright!” surrendered Thomas.

“Listen, though,” said Minho. “Don’t bottle things up like that again. You saw what it did to you and I can’t have that. I’m not going to lose you, too. If you need to talk or something, just let me know. I’m here for you, man.”

Thomas looked at Minho, a smile crossing his face, and said, “Thanks, Minho. Really, I appreciate it. The same goes for you, too, though. If you need me, I’m always here for you.”

Minho threw his arm around Thomas and pulled him towards him.

“Yeah, I know. We’ve got each other,” said Minho. “So, you up for a run?”

“Huh? Where?” asked Thomas.

“In the woods of course,” replied Minho. “They’re pretty dense, so it’ll be like running through the maze.”

“That’s not exactly something I’d like to repeat,” said Thomas, cocking an eyebrow at his best friend.

“Come on, shuckface, it’ll be good for both of us,” said Minho. “We can get away from everything for a while and just talk.”

“Don’t we have work to do today?” asked Thomas.

“I’m sure those shanks can get along without use for one day,” replied Minho. “Gally’ll keep them in line.”

“Yeah, you’re probably right,” said Thomas.

“So, you ready?” asked Minho.

“I guess so,” answered Thomas.

“No guess so’s here, greenie. You ready or not?” asked Minho.

Thomas smiled, remembering the first time Minho had asked him if he was ready to run, and confidently said, “Yeah, I’m ready.”

Minho slapped Thomas on the back, flashed a huge grin at Thomas, and said, “Then let’s go runnin’!”

Thomas and Minho stood up and a second later, they were running out the door of Thomas’ hut and heading straight for the woods. They ran just like they did back in the maze. They were as fast as ever and adapted quickly to the twists and turns of the dense forest. As they ran, they talked and laughed. They talked about their best memories with Newt. Minho told Thomas stories about Newt before Thomas arrived in the Glade. They joked as they ran, too. But, most of all, they remembered Newt. They ran and they remembered him. They always would and they were going to be okay because they still had each other.

 


End file.
